What does the bloomed vs sprinkled spices experiment test?

It tests one variable: when the spices go in. The idea is that spices fried in oil taste fuller than the same spices stirred in at the end.

15-minute experiment

Bloomed vs sprinkled spices

Fry the spice or just add it?

The idea

Spices fried in oil taste fuller than the same spices stirred in at the end.

The one thing you change: When the spices go in

You need

2 tsp ground cumin
2 small pots with 1 cup of plain soup or broth
2 tsp oil

Steps

Warm the oil in a small pan, add one teaspoon of cumin, stir for 20 seconds so it smells toasty without burning, then pour it carefully into one pot of soup, since hot oil spits when it hits liquid.
Stir the other teaspoon of cumin straight into the second pot.
Taste both after two minutes.

What you should find

The bloomed soup tastes rounder and deeper. The stirred-in soup tastes dusty and sharper.

From the app

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The science behind it

Bloom spices in hot oil

Ground spices need only 20 to 30 seconds in hot oil. The oil dissolves their aroma and carries it through the dish, so every bite gets some. This quick fry…

Read the explainer

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